The Ring Battle: Dodge Viper ACR Vs Corvette ZR1 on Video

the dodge is better looking but the zr1 is the better car.

how is the zr1 a better car you goto back your statements plz.

I agree, the ACR comes with fully adjustable suspension. You can tailor it to your needs at the track, every track requires a slightly different setup, so how are you viewing the ZR1 as a better car? Quality? Looks? Performance? Price?

Nice to compare how much steering input they have to do e when hammering down the ring.

wow... looking at this, huge respect to the viper seriously. its ahead after like 2 seconds into the whole thing lol... dunno if its the timing, but it looked like each video started at the same time. damn.. the viper just pulls away slowly... more and more

hmm.. curiosity has me again i'm willing to bet the ACR on the ring won't be exactly the same as the one you buy.. just like Nissans attempt

no no, and no. you see guys, they're not the same cars. and with that i mean: the vette is a car made by chevy, inhouse, right? with all luxuries included..satnav, leather interior, a boot..etc etc. while the dodge, it is, a viper, taken by the guys over at ACR (which is a tuning garage/company) and modified. in other words, it is not factory, the acr viper. obviously thats why it is called ACR DODGE VIPER. it isnt "natural". the viper, it too, comes with luxuries like leather and all the bla blas..maybe even the satnav. this test is irrelevant. of course the viper is faster cause it's lighter, it was stripped over at the ACR. let's say the ZR1 would be modified by Lingenfelter, and then put it head to head with the ACR. i think that would be a fair test. ooorrr...test the ZR1 STOCK with the `09 VIPER ALSO STOCK.

Sorry but you're wrong, all parts of the ACR package, Suspension and Aeros are available to regular Vipers, Roadsters and Coupes alike. Secondly the ACR is lightened but only by 40lbs which isn't a HUGE difference. The test is totally fair.

yeah sure xanavi... and the aero body kit is stock too, right? and the wheels...and the tires. yup, it is fair allright

Yes, the Aero package is "Stock" on the ACR....but when you go to a Dodge Dealership or website and you start "building" a Viper...the ACR options are available to you to be added onto your Roadster or Coupe. The ACR pieces are "Stock" because not only are they OEM equipment on the ACR VIPER, but they are also optionable on regular Vipers, if the owners want both or just one aspect of the ACR kit. Dodge knows better how to tune the downforce and suspension, however the benifits are still open to owners. Where's the problem ?

Ohh btw, Norther, if you check out "Building" a Viper on Dodge.com, you'll see that a Viper with all the ACR options, wings, wheels and suspension, is almost cheaper than a ZR1. So while the regular SRT-10 Viper is a better match against the ZR1, in terms of price, the competition is the ACR. both being about 100k, more for the ZR1.

The ACR is fantastically evil-looking. As much as I dislike American cars, both these machines are hugely impressive.

The dodge seems to look more planted to the road, there seems to be less correction on the steering wheel. Surely, that huge rear wing on the dodge can prove advantageous in traction and grip of the rear tyres?

Both impressive cars, and it's incredible that the comparitively simple technology can overcome Japan's latest effort in the GT-R. I'm still keeping my money on the new Porsche GT2 with PDK installed (whenever that happens, hopefully soon). Ol' Walter Rohrl will have to risk his life again...

Both are impressive cars, but compare how the nissan and the dodge are driven...the dodge seems to be a lot more rear-happy and I think it would be rather impossible for most people to drive it like in the video...the nissan, with all its computers and gizmos, seemed to drive smoothly, something most of us could probably do...

both are useless :)

Not if you have the money to afford them.

yawn!! waitin for Porsche's reply!! ;)

I was watching the steering too and I noticed couple spots where the Viper was getting a bit squirley. This is a trait of Vipers and their massive power delivery. Keep in mind there is an added variable in all these side-by-side videos that can't be ruled out when making comparisons. That being the driver. The driver in the Viper has really got that that car on the edge. Quite impressive vehicle and driving IMO. The Vette isn't totally out of the race but I wonder if a different driver pushing a little harder could have improved the time. Of course the best test would be multiple runs of both cars with the same driver or multiple drivers running both cars. These videos have to be taken with a grain of salt as they are hardly scientific so my personal feeling is statements of one is better than the other is often a show of bias toward one car or the other. No matter which one comes in first, I'm happy to see the American car companies finally starting to recognize the quality of the ring as a proving ground for new products. They have been guilty of building too many cookie-cutter vehicles that ignore the performance level of the competition. Hopefully what they learn at the ring trickles down to other models in the future.

I agree that comparing videos of these 2 cars is not an accurate comparison. They were done on different track conditions and with very different drivers. When Jim Mero talked about his run with the ZR1 he mentioned that he could have gone quicker on some parts of the track and that day there was a strong head wind. No doubt the ACR is a quick car, but for the most part it is best suited for the track with a professional driver behind the wheel. This video from youtube taped by edmunds.com says it all about the ZR1 and the Viper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORFhReZsOuw As I had stated in a prior post when the Ring time of the ACR was posted, these 2 cars need to both have a professional driver behind the wheel on the same day at the Ring and only then can we get a more accurate picture of which car is the quickest. I know a guy that races regularly in the Players International and his 2 favorite cars he has raced over and over again were the Vette's, and the Porsche 911's. Those are the cars that just never break down he says. He currently owns a Ferrari 599, bothe the baby Lambo and its bigger brother, a Porsche GT2 and is waiting to take delivery of a new ZR1. He owned a few Vipers and strictly used them on the track and said that they were the most demanding cars to drive and it would not take to much to push it over the edge where the other cars all were much better handling and more forgiving if you screw up. I am still glad to see that American muscle is proving to rise to the top and other than a Porsche, I personally would not own any of the other European built cars because they just break down way to easy!